It seems the Los Angeles Clippers have decided to become noble. Their new cause? Giving employment to the elderly. That’s been the trend of their off-season so far. The new additions – Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal- are all on the wrong side of thirty. And the oldest of them all, the forty-year-old Chris Paul, has no intention of slowing down.

“Chris Paul wants to be a starter, we’re told, which is part of the reason why he evidently hasn’t made up his mind yet,” wrote NBA reporter Tim Reynolds. Sounds insane, right? Well, not so much. According to Taylyn Hadley, the Clippers can make this work by shifting James Harden to the shooting guard role and allowing Paul to run the offense. However, almost a month after his return to LA was officially announced, it looks like CP3 will not get his wish that easily.

According to The Sporting News reporter Gilbert McGregor, “While Paul is reported to have a desire to continue starting, he would likely come off LA’s bench, which now provides depth at every position”. McGregor highlighted that the LA Clippers head coach, Tyronn Lue, will almost inevitably experiment with lineups. After all, the team has made some major changes to the roster in the recent off-season by making four major acquisitions that include the 3 former All-Stars. This depth itself, as reporter John Vaccaro highlighted, will “create some serious competition for playing time on the 2025-26 Clippers”.

According to McGregor’s projected starting lineup, the Point Guard for the Clippers will be James Harden, the Shooting Guard will be Bradley Beal, the Small Forward will be Kawhi Leonard, the Power Forward will be John Collins, and the Center will be Ivica Zubac. In addition to this, the team now has a depth that includes Nicolas Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and the newly traded big man Brook Lopez. This is reportedly a big improvement to the Clippers’ starting lineup, as they did not have this much depth last season. In light of this, Clippers’ President of Basketball Operations, Lawrence Frank, highlighted, there may be nights when Chris Paul doesn’t even step on the court!

Given Chris Paul’s desire, he might not have taken this news well, right? Fortunately, the veteran is willing to be flexible. Lawrence Frank had stated back in July that “He (Chris Paul) is joining us as a reserve point guard and is excited to fill whatever role T Lue asks him to play”.

Last season, Chris Paul played and started in all 82 games with the San Antonio Spurs, averaging formidable yet unspectacular 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. This, along with his advanced age, makes analysts believe that the Clippers would rather concentrate on other players. “I’m told Chris Paul very much understands his role could fluctuate night to night,” said Shams Charania. “He might not play on some nights, but the ability to start, come off the bench, and be a plug-and-play player, this is something that could have a pretty impactful role coming off that Clippers bench.”

But the question is, if Chris Paul wants to be a starter and the Clippers are not giving him a guaranteed starting berth, then why did he even join them?

Chris Paul chose to join the Los Angeles Clippers for family reasons

Right after signing his contract with the LA Clippers, Chris Paul was interviewed by Forbes. In the interview, he was asked whether his family played any part in his choice. “That was the main factor,” Paul answered. Explaining his decision, CP3 said, “It was wild, the past six years not getting to see my family, you know, and my kids, you know, how quickly they change and how fast they change. And obviously, this is the NASDAQ, Forbes, and everything and everyone’s talking about wealth and money and all these different things, but the most valuable thing that we have is time.”

He further added, “And I’ve lost a lot of valuable time. Sacrifice and many people do that throughout their lives, and to each his own, but I knew that you know, this time now with my kids is very valuable. So, I cherish it.” So, at the ripe age of forty, Chris Paul found a way to prioritize his family and still keep doing what he loves.

Chris Paul’s son, Chris Paul Jr., and daughter Cameryn currently reside in Los Angeles. The veteran has lived in different cities over the last 6 seasons after being traded from the Clippers back in 2017. After so long, the family is reunited, and the veteran has no regrets. Even if it means having less playtime.